


Minako Knows Best

by Timewormbloom



Series: An Awkward Begining [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Light Angst, M/M, Okukawa Minako centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23919055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewormbloom/pseuds/Timewormbloom
Summary: Yuuri's parents had always been there for him with a bowl of katsdon and comforting words. Minako, on the other hand, was the one who pushed him forward (sometimes literally). Every major event in his life had Minako in the background, even if she wasn't the nicest about it.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Okukawa Minako, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: An Awkward Begining [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724098
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Minako Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly to expand on my characterization of Minako in the previous work. The one thing I noticed about her was how different her approach to handling Yuuri was. They let him sit in his room with junk food for a week straight, but the moment he got off that train she was pushing him to get back into skating. Also, someone wrote like a three-paragraph comment on the last work and they mentioned Minako, which is where the inspiration for this came from.

Minako helped Yuuri lace up his skates for the first time. It had taken weeks of pestering him before he gave in and agreed to give skating a shot, but she still made sure she had a tight grip on his shoulders while they made their way to the main skating area. His parents were off to the side with a camera and comforting smiles. 

Things started to go slightly downhill once they got to the actual ice. Yuuri had gotten as far as taking off his skate guards before freezing. He just stared at the ice while shaking slightly. 

“I...don’t think I want to do this,” he stammered as he started to back up. Minako tightened her grip on his shoulders and knelt down to his level. 

“Yuuri. It’s going to be fine. The instructor is right there.” She assured her student while his parents rushed in. 

“Oh, Yuuri. You can stick to dancing for now and try skating next year.” Yuuri looked up at his parents, then back at Minako.

“Really?” He leaned down slightly to start taking his skates off, but Minako grabbed his hands. 

“Yuuri, you have to at least try. You aren’t going to do anything crazy today, it’ll be just like ballet. In fact, it’ll be even calmer.” Minako tilted his head up to make him look her in the eyes. Yuuri looked indecisive, but his hands were now glued to the hem of his shirt instead of his skates. 

“I only have to do it once?” he mumbled. 

“How about this, if anything really bad happens, I’ll stop your lesson and you don’t have to come back. I promise.” She held out her hand, and Yuuri eyed it nervously. 

“I guess if it’s only once.” He shakily reached out and shook her hand. Minako ruffled his hair and stood back up. The instructor was awkwardly waiting on the ice with the other students. Minako gently pushed him in their direction. She thought they were in the clear until he paused again right before making the first step onto the ice. 

“Come on kid,” she grumbled as she hoisted him into the air. If she didn’t get him moving now, they’d have to repeat the whole thing and they’d never get anywhere. She had him by the armpits, and she was reminded of that one Disney movie with the lions she’d seen years ago. “This is Yuuri, please take care of him.” She slowly lowered him on the ice and gave him a minute to steady himself before she let him go. He immediately latched onto the wall and didn’t let go, but it was progress.

\--

“Do you have everything?” Minako watched her student carefully pack his equipment up. He had an actual checklist next to him, and two of his rink mates were standing behind him. The girl looked amused, but the boy looked a little exasperated. 

“Yuuri, we’ll meet you at the station. Come join us when you’re done with that.” The girl dragged the boy out of the room. As she passed Minako, she shot her a pleading look that Minako answered with a nod. They closed the door behind them, leaving Minako alone with Yuuri.

“Well, this feels familiar,” she remarked as she sat down next to Yuuri. He spared her a glance before going back to obsessing over his gear. “It feels like yesterday I had to force you onto the ice.”

“This is nothing like that. There weren’t any expectations back then. And there wasn’t an entire crowd watching me.” He checked the blades of his skates for the twentieth time in the last half-hour. His hands were starting to shake.

“It’s more similar than you might think. And you managed that just fine.”

“Yeah, right after I finished bawling my eyes out.” Yuuri rolled his eyes. 

“But you kept going, and here you are. On your way to your first competition.” She bumped him lightly with her shoulder. 

“I think we remember that day very differently.” 

“Maybe we do. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re on the brink of something great.” She suddenly stood up and yanked his bag out of his arms. 

“Hey! Give that back!” He chased after her, but Minako did a perfectly timed ballet move that put the bag above his head. He pouted and grumbled but followed her outside.

“Come on kid, you’re getting on that ice whether you like it or not. Don’t think I won’t carry you out there myself”

\--

Something was very wrong with Yuuri. It took Minako about two seconds to realize that after he stepped off the train. He looked utterly defeated, and his coat did nothing to hide the extra bulk that hadn’t been there a few months ago. That was going to be a problem. If Yuuri was ever going to get back on the ice she had to intervene now. The first orders of business were his confidence and his weight. She knew that once she got him home he would lock himself in his room with some katsudon, but she could at least make a start. 

Speaking of a start, there was one walking up to them.

“Yuuri, be nice to your fans,” she ordered as she manhandled his arm into shaking hands with the people who had approached them. It was like he wasn’t even trying to maintain his image. 

She spent the rest of the walk home planning her next moves. She couldn’t exactly rip his clothes off out here in public, but it would be the best way to point the problem out. Hopefully, he’d handle the rest from there once he got some motivation. 

There was also the issue of his parents. She loved the Katsuki’s to bits, but they were too focused on Yuuri’s comfort. They just never seemed to realize that Yuuri was the kind of person who needed a push, not reassurances and food. And if she needed to kick him in the ass, so be it.

\--

“How many times am I going to have to do this?” Minako joked as she approached Yuuri. He was bent over the sink with his eyes screwed shut. He seemed to swing between hyperventilation and seemingly not breathing at all at random. She ran her hand over his back, careful to not mess up his hair. 

“I guess I never learn.” He scowled at the floor. 

“When I saw you plastering your room with Victor’s posters for the first time, I never thought you’d end up here.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m not supposed to be.” Yuuri turned around so he was facing Minako, but he was still leaning against the sink. He wasn’t crying, but his eyes were starting to swell and turn red. 

“Do you know what Victor would say if he saw you now?” 

“...he’d spend half an hour talking about how much he loves me.” Yuuri put his face in his hands with a groan. 

“Even if you don’t feel like you deserve it, I know that Victor wants this as much as you do. You’ll have the rest of your lives together to sort all that out.” 

“What if he’s just being nice and he secretly hates me?” Yuuri was starting to internally combust. 

“Do you really think anyone can make Victor do anything? I’ve seen the grey hairs on his coach.” Minako laughed to herself. Yuuri smiled slightly. 

“He’s ridiculous like that.” Yuuri looked like he’d calmed down slightly, so Minako made her move. 

“Now, come one. Let’s not keep your husband waiting.” 

“Technically, he’s not my husband yet.” Yuuri joked, which Minako took as a good sign. 

“Like anyone would believe that. Phichit still insists you got married back in Barcelona.” 

“Alright, alright. I’ll go if you stop bringing that up.” 

“That’s the spirit!”


End file.
